


Always Running

by PeachyKeye



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Modern Girl in Thedas
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-11
Updated: 2016-02-15
Packaged: 2018-04-03 22:19:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4116862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PeachyKeye/pseuds/PeachyKeye
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>24 year old Abigail Sinclair is finally home for summer break. She's ready to relax on the farm, but her dog has other plans.</p><p>When out for a run with her dog, things go amiss. When she wakes up, things are not at all like they use to be.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Home Sweet Home

**Author's Note:**

> I am by no means a writer. I usually draw. But drawing takes forever and this has been rattling in my head so loudly I needed to get it down on paper (or virtual paper).
> 
> I've got the first few chapters written. If people seem to take an interest then I may wright some more!
> 
> Please enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty! So this is my new and improved beginning!!! I've decided to go ahead and delete all the other chapters so you'll know when those get updated. I _should_ be sleeping right now, but I can work a 9 hours shift on 5 hours of sleep, who cares *cries*
> 
> Anyway! Lol I hope you guys enjoy this new and improved chapter! Let me know what you think and friendly critique is always welcome!
> 
> Thank you all again for being so patient with me! <3

_Sherwood 11 miles_

"Finally!" I yell at no one in particular. After over five hours in the car, the ever increasingly familiar terrain is a welcome sight. Won't be long now, I think as a grin begins to spread across my face.

It sure is good to be back after all this time. It's been well over a year since I've been home. I didn't even get to make it back last Christmas because of the weather. Damn the snow. Sherwood sure is different than where I've been living for the past six years, and damn, do I miss it. I've always preferred small towns over large cities, but college forces me to live in the concrete jungle I despise so much. They're convenient, sure, but they're so damned loud and smelly. I still haven't gotten use to the sound of traffic outside of my window when I'm trying to fall asleep. Not to mention the constant stench of rancid garbage and sewer. It was always the worst by the mess hall on campus. 

Luckily enough for me, my university was very nitpicky about keeping the campus clean. They were very environmentally friendly, and kept gardens for the local wildlife. Mostly squirrels. Those were always my favorite places to study. It really reminded me of the farm. A huff from the back seat pulls me out of my daydream. My smile grows even wider at the adorable fluff snoozing away back there. 

"Bella, sweetie. We're almost home." I say quietly, trying to wake her. Another huff and the loud thumping of her tail against my leather seat lets me know she heard me.

"When we get there, how about you and me go for a run?" With the magic word spoken a large silver blue blur launches from the back seat into the passenger side seat, quite ungracefully if I'm honest. If I weren't actually expecting that reaction, I might have run off the road from surprise, but I know my girl too well.

With all the distraction, I almost missed the fact that we've finally reached Sherwood. Miss Anna's Dinner looks just like it always has, bright red roof and all. Mrs. Helen, the florist, seems to have some good flowers this year, by the look of it. I might stop by later and get some as a gift. And there's Mr. and Mrs. Jones taking their daily walk around the neighborhood. Such a cute couple. They've been married over fifty years. I hope I can find someone like that. 

Finally, I reach the street my childhood home resides on. Turning right off the highway by the large elm tree and the statue of two dogs and a little girl on a bench, I make my way down Riverside Drive, passing my home. It still looks the same. Faded white paint on the walls and dark black shingles from the new roof my dad just put on. A winding pathway to the front porch and my favorite climbing tree by the sidewalk. The weeds are out and the lawn needs to be mowed. Maybe I can come out and mow it to surprise Dad before they get home.

It's a little strange just driving past it like this, but I'm not stopping by here for at least another week. The reason being, my parents are taking a two week long vacation and won’t be back for a while yet. They almost didn’t go when they found out I was coming home this week, but I made them go in the end. No way am I going to hold them back from a nice cruise. Dad wanted to help me move all my stuff out of my apartment, but I reminded him I'm a big girl and can move my own things. It's not like I have a lot to move anyway, all of my belongings fit into the trunk of my car and a few suitcases, after all.  
I can hear Bella's tail thumping against the seat again and I have to remind her that we're not stopping at home just yet. Fortunately she knows exactly where we're going as soon as we turn onto the old country road out to my grandparents house. She practically dances in her seat as we draw closer.

"I can't imagine you're having too much fun on this trip, huh, girl?!" Bella whines playfully as I address her. Now that we're on the country road out to the farm, I can roll my windows down. I laugh as Bella sticks the top half of her body out of the moving car. I make sure not to roll the window down all the way, because she may very well jump from sheer boredom.

I know these lands like the back of my hand. Old man Elliot's cattle are out in his pasture, under their favorite oak tree for shade from the summer sun. A little further down is the Donnelly ranch filled with horses and goats and even a few donkeys. Bella barks excitedly, her wagging tail smacking me in the face, as we pass a wild cottontail on the side of the road, practically giving the poor thing a heart attack. I see it's little white tail disappear into the brush. After passing the old Milly Creek, I drive up the final hill to my Grandparent's farm. I pass their adorable cow shaped mailbox and pull in through  
the large, white fence entrance and pull into my usual parking spot beside the carport and stop.

"Made it!" I rejoice. Bella can't contain herself and damn near breaks my window trying to claw her way out of the car. Laughing, I reach across her and open her door first and in the blink of an eye she's out the door and sprinting off to greet Ruckus and Bowen, my grandparent's Labradors. I have to take a moment to readjust my body to not sitting down and I have to lean on the car as I stand, so my poor legs and butt don't give out on me. I'm far too lazy to try and unpack anything now, especially because I'll just need to repack by the end of the week, so instead I've packed all my essentials into my athletic bag and a suitcase. 

I take a moment to survey the property. I can see a few hundred yards away by the barn, that Grandpa has built a new paddock for the horses. He's also torn down that old fence that was such an eyesore and made a new vegetable garden over there. I can see the cattle out in the pasture grazing as usual. I can see a few calves playing as their mothers graze. They’re always so cute when they're so small. The pasture has grown really well this year, due to all the rainfall. Texas doesn't get much rain usually, but this year has been anything but usual. Flooding and landslides became common place back in spring. Hopefully now that summer has gotten here, we can avoid such drastic water fall. Still, it's nice to see the pond so full. As I turn towards the house I can see that Grandma has expanded the garden. She's repainted that old picket fence, too. I take a moment to appreciate my favorite part of her garden - the peach tree. It's been around far longer than I have and larger than life. It's already bloomed this spring and now has more peaches than I can count starting to bloom. I'll bet it smells amazing. Grandma is gonna make some amazing peach cobbler out of those. My mouth starts to water at the thought of Grandma's homemade peach cobbler. Maybe she'll make it for me. It is my favorite food after all!

After recovering from my sleeping legs, I grab my bag and suitcase and start making my way to the front door, taking in the sights and smells. It's all so nostalgic. Grandma's garden is looking amazing this year. And it looks like Grandpa built that cat house he was talking about for so long. It's more like a cat mansion, having at least three levels and multiple perches and an actual roof, shingles and all. He always has spoiled his cats. Speak of the devils. Holly, Roger, and Lincoln spot me and meet me at the gate, meowing and purring and begging for food. I can't help but laugh at that, gluttons. What's new is the four tinier meows I can hear from just in front the mansion. It seems Holly has had another litter and they all look suspiciously like Tucker. Where is that old Tom Cat, anyway? Probably lazing about somewhere.

Anyway, after having gotten distracted by the parade of felines, I continue on to the front door. My grandparents had seen me pull in and had come to meet me at the door with smiles and hugs. Man, have I missed them! We walk inside as Grandma enthuses about her garden and Grandpa tells me all about the new little filly in the stable. They haven’t changed at all, with the exception of the grayer hair that comes with time, and that is a relief. After all that's been happening recently, I need some familiarity. 

Grandpa helps me take my suitcase upstairs to my room. I call it 'my' room but it was the room that me and my brother would share when we stayed over as children. Still, it looks and smells the same, if only a little dustier. It still even has that old rotary phone my brother and I use to play with. I put my finger in '9' - my favorite number- and spin the wheel until my finger rests on the metal piece on the bottom and let go. The sound it makes is so satisfying. I kind of miss when phones were more tactile. Now they're just flat screens. Don't get me wrong, touch screens are amazing, but there was some fun in having something physically react to your actions. I laugh at myself, realizing how hipster I just sounded.

"I'm glad you're home, Abby. The horses missed you." Grandpa says in his usual teasing manner. I give him my best sarcastic glare.

"Okay, okay, I missed you too." He laughs his deep bellied laugh. My dad got that from him. In fact, my dad got almost everything from Grandpa. Tall, dark hair, freckles, the way he can fill a room with laughter, the face he makes when he's focusing really hard. I chuckle as I remember how I make that face too. It's our legacy I suppose.

Grandpa pulls me in for one last hug before he heads downstairs to give me a chance to settle in. He still smells of dirt and leather and peaches. God, it's _good_ to be home.After he leaves I take a moment to set my bag down on the bed and follow suit, plopping myself down on my back starting up at the ceiling. 

My eyes absent-mindedly followed the slow moving blades of the ceiling fan as my mind began to wander. I remember when Jase and I were playing in here with a yoyo and I ended up losing a baby tooth. He was so scared because there was so much blood, but I couldn't help but laugh. How we would try to stay up all night playing and end up falling asleep on each other anyway. How we would annoy Henry and Patrick, and Maddie would just laugh. He use to challenge me to races and I'd kick his butt every time. I even beat Henry. They would all be at my track meets, cheering me on. It was always so encouraging to see all six of them shouting from the sidelines; Mom, Dad, Jase, Henry, Patrick, and Maddie. It was hard when Maddie went off to college. It was the first time our family had been separated at all. I still remember how sad Mom had been. She was crying, and my dad was too, even though he tried to hide it behind his sunglasses. He did the same thing when I went off to college. But he was so damn happy for me. I mean, I got a scholarship to the university with the best running team in the whole damn state. Hell, the best this side of the country! The best school for the best runner, after all. And I **was** the best! Never lost a race in my entire middle school or high school career. I was the star of the track and cross country teams. It was no different in college either. Until-

My face scrunches up sourly as I remember that letter. That fucking letter. The letter that basically told me to fuck off and never come back. The letter that burned any chance I ever had at the Olympics.

"Assholes." I hiss bitterly. They have me run my fucking ass off for them for six years, then drop me like a newborn giraffe. I'm only twenty four for Christ's sake. 'Too old' my ass. I mean, what am I suppose to do with my life now? The only thing I was ever good at was running. How sad is that, right? I'd kill for some booze right now. I bet Dad is disappointed in me. I could hear it in his voice when I told him. How could things have gone so wrong so quickly? How will-

My train of thought is broken by a soft knock at the door.

"Abigail, darling. Your Grandpa and I are going into town to do some shopping. Would you like to tag along?" Grandma asks in her sweet voice. I feel my shoulders relax. When had I gotten so tense? Sometimes I wonder how she always makes me feel better, even when she doesn't know she's doing it. Dad says he sees a lot of her in me. And as I look at the older blonde and silver haired woman, I can see it too. Physically speaking, I look exactly like my Grandma did when she was my age. Curly blonde hair, blue eyes, the same nose, cheeks, smile- everything. Personality wise, however, my dad says I take after my mother. Grandma is very kindly, while I'm more fiery, like my mother. Stubborn, hot-headed, brash- all from my mother.

"No thanks, Grandma. I've been in a car all day, if I have to sit anymore, I may just explode!" I answer when I realize I got distracted by my own thoughts. She laughs sweetly.

"All right, darling. We'll be back soon. I'm making your favorite tonight." she gives me a wink. FUCK YES!

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I get one last hug and kiss from Grandma and Grandpa before they head outside. I watch from the window as they drive out of the entrance and turn off onto the road. I let out a deep sigh.

"Well, that's enough sulking for one day!" I say as I start walking up the stairs towards my room. It's definitely time for a run!

I turned right at the top of the stairs and entered my room and headed straight for my athletic bag. I always keep an extra pair of athletic clothes and normal clothes, just in case. I strip out of my with tank top and skinny jeans and throw on my ankle length running spandex and my orange and gray sports bra, tucking my previous clothing into my bag. I wandered over to the mirror to try and tame the curly mess on my head I call my hair. When in doubt: ponytail. Ponytail, it is. When I'm done with my hair I pack my athletic bag back up and throw it over my should. I take one last look in the mirror. Should I wear my tank top or not? It's not really a problem, no one is here and it's noon on a Texas summer day; the less clothing the better. Satisfied with my appearance I head out the door, down the stairs and into the kitchen. I fill up my water bottle and grab a few peaches and apples that Grandma had picked earlier that day. Don’t worry, there are still plenty of peaches for cobbler. Mmm, cobbler.

With my bag packed, I headed out the door and towards the pasture gate. It's been a while since I've been out to that old pond, I may as well go have a little picnic.

"Bella!" I yelled. No answer.

"Bellaaaa!" … still nothing.

"Hmm…" I smiled mischievously. 

"Oh Bella! I guess we can't go for our run!" Within seconds I see that familiar silver-blue blur come racing around the corner, tongue out, tail wagging. I burst into laughter.

"My, but you are **so** predictable! C'mon girl, let's go!" I take just a moment to look at the horse barn. I should go see them. There is that new filly after all and Grandpa says she looks just like Sicily. My Sicily… I'll see her when I get back. Grandpa will want to show me himself, after all.

With that, we were off. A woman and her dog, running through the country side. The cattle, thankfully, are use to us and our shenanigans, but the young calves scatter back to their mothers. Poor things, I think while laughing. I hear the familiar pounding of hooves from behind. I look over my shoulder to see Riot running with us along the fence that separates the horse pasture from the cattle pasture. He must've gotten excited to see us running. I make a quick stop to pet him and give him an apple and then continue the run to the pond.

Running through my pastures again feels incredible. Every rock, every fallen branch, every hidden creek is familiar and comfortable and I love it. I've always loved running. It's so simple. Just one foot in front of the other, breath, repeat. It's always been easier for me to think while I'm running. In fact I use to listen to my lectures recorded on my phone while I ran, to study. And Bella loves it as much as I do. She'll sometimes get ahead of me but for the most part, she likes sticking close. I think she likes having a running buddy as much as I do.

It only takes about fifteen minutes to get to the pond. It's smaller than I remember. My brothers and sister and I use to come out here all the time and skips rocks and catch turtles and swim. We loved it out here. I walk to the edge of the water and search for a nice flat stone. When I've found one to my liking I throw it swiftly across the surface skipping it clean across the pond. I can't help but smirk. I've still got it.

After I'm done gloating at myself, I walk over to the old tree we use to climb as children and take a rest in the shade. Even though I've lived here my whole life, I'll never get use to just how hot the Texas sun is, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy the subtle burn. I pour some water into a small bowl for Bella and take a large gulp myself. I pull one of the peaches out of my bag and start to munch on it while I give Bella one of her doggy treats. With a sigh and a stretch I rest my head against the trunk of the tree behind me, relaxing even further. I can see cattle grazing off in the distance, the birds are singing, I close my eyes and the wind is blowing gently and it feels good on my sweaty skin and for one perfect moment, I'm completely and utterly at peace. Then…

Nothing. The world fell silent. No birds, no wind, no nothing. Bella is tense and the fur on the back of her neck is standing on end. That's not normal. None of this is normal. Alarmed, I stood slowly. Something is off. I feel light headed, like I stood up too quickly. Bella lets out a low growl, which shocks me. She doesn't growl… like… ever. I can feel… something. Some sort of… sensation. Behind my right eye. Am I getting a migraine? Bella let out a sharp bark, which actually startled me. What is she barking at?

Then suddenly, the feeling behind my eye went from mild pressure to a dagger in the eye. I let out a sharp cry. God! What the hell is this! The wind is back, but it’s stronger than before. What is happening? Another pulse of head splitting pain shoots through me spreading from my eye outwards all the way to my jaw. I fall to the ground clutching my head. Oh my god! What is this pain?! I let out another pained scream, louder this time as yet another pulse of pains shoots through me. Somehow it’s getting stronger. Every one of my senses is clouded by pure, piercing, ripping pain. The wind is pushing me, pulling me, trying to rip me apart from the outside while the pain tries to rip me apart from the inside. Is Bella barking? I can't tell. All I can hear is the wind and the pain. Nausea and vertigo almost make me pass out, but the fucking pain in my head pulls me back. The white hot pain is soon all I can feel, ripping, pulling, twisting. Blind and deaf and exploding and imploding and pain and pain and pain and then-

Nothing.


	2. So Sorry!!

I'm so sorry for not having updated in soooooo long!!

Things got super crazy at home, we've moved, I've gotten two more jobs, and every video game under the sun is coming out so this little story of mine has fallen to the wayside.

But no more, I say! I was recently tagged on Tumblr in an excellent post by [imjustthereforthefanporn](http://imjusthereforthefanporn.tumblr.com/post/139061907057/tag-proposal-modern-people-in-thedas-realities) and she brings up multiple excellent points about the genre of 'Modern girl in the Thedas' and I sincerily encourage you to take a look. She really breaks down all the problems and issues a lot of us willy nilly authors have with the genre.

Seeing as how I'm not too terribly far into the story, I figured this is a good time to take a look back and review and renew. So that's what I'm gonna do. Starting today, I'm gonna start over from Chapter 1. This time, however, I'm going to properly plan the story as oppose to just typing willy nilly. Chapters will be longer, and in more detail. Some chapters will be combined and some erased all together. And an actual plot line will show its ugly face. I'm so greatful to everyone who has read, kudos, and commented on my shitty little fanfic. It means the world to me! And I know how frustrating it can be when the author of a story you like suddenly drops off the face of the earth (or Thedas).

As I mentioned before, I do work 2 jobs, and now I have a horse that I take care of on the daily, so my free time is limited. Also, all the new video games that are coming out are calling to me! But I will try my damnedest to have at least 1 chapter up every other week. I'll start by updating chapter 1 with an all new beginning. I haven't finished it yet, so it won't be up until later, so keep checking to see if I've changed the title!!

p.s Comments always keep my going. If I get a comment, I **KNOW** there are _**actual**_ people, _**actually**_ waiting for me, to _**actually**_ get my lazy ass up and write. And that is honestly the best motivator. Thank ya'll again for being so patient with me!!


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